In this week’s Take Five feature, illustrator Peter Judson takes us through an alternative lesson in colour theory with a rummage through his sock drawer.
Championed as one of illustration festival Pick Me Up’s ‘Selects’ group of upcoming talents this year, London-based designer and printmaker Peter Judson creates geometric worlds filled Memphis-inspired interiors and carefully chosen colour palettes. He counts Unilever, Yahoo, and Conde Nast as clients.
Here he explains his relationship with colour through the filter of his sock drawer.
My Socks
My Green Socks
After being told incessantly that I live in one of the greenest capital cities in Europe, I felt a need to really push this discussion, if not to instil pride in my fellow city dwellers, then to protest against luxury developers Insatiable desire to feast on the luxurious green DNA that runs through the streets of my beloved metropolis.
None of this is true, they’re just socks
My Yellow Socks
The colour of sunshine, happiness, double yellow lines and radioactive warning signage. Yellow is a colour thwarted by contradiction. Utilising the positive connotations, I often wear these little pockets of glory with an entirely black ensemble to deploy metaphor, communicating the idea of hope in what is in all fairness a challenging and oppressive world.
This is not true they are just socks, they’re not even yellow. I’d say mustard but I feel a bit pretentious describing the hue of my socks.
My Blue and White socks
The only piece of soft footwear I own that combines two colours. A graphic representation of a summer sky? A nod to the matisse blue nudes? Or an illustration of my love affair with the oceanic white tipped shark?
None of the above. I still to this day wish they were simply blue as I liked the bold colour but I knew that the white tips would be concealed within my shoes and nobody will know of the pointless and wasteful nature of their white embellishments.
My Orange Socks
As a frequent shopper at the major supermarket chain branded in a similar colour, I took a left-field stab at potential off the cuff discounts from my quite evident brand loyalty. I’ve worn them every time I go however have failed to receive any rewards to date.
A completely fabricated story further supported by the fact that these aren’t even my socks but those of my missus. I have tried them on once when she was out but haven’t told her yet so I’m a little nervous due to the public nature of my confession.
My Black Socks
I feel like black is the perfect colour for socks as the colour emphasises vividly the concept of ‘The Void’ which in essence is what socks are designed to protect you from. This interplay between colour, concept and use is probably the most poetic design solution I’ve ever been privileged to observe in first person. A lasting and genuine classic.
If you’ve learnt anything, it’s that I wear coloured socks without subtly attempting to portray any socio-political or environmental agendas but simply to cover my naked feet and ankles. That, or I’m not even talking about socks.
peterjudson.com